Sarabande and Gigue from Partita No.4 in D - Bach.

Question 1

What is the context/background of the Sarabande and Gigue from Partita No. in D?

Answer 1

1728.
Baroque.
One of six partitas (suites).
Published 1731 - 'Keyboard Exercises'.
Professional ability.
Sarabande - 5th of 7 movements.
Gigue - last movement.

Question 2

What are the Baroque features of the Sarabande and Gigue from Partita No. in D? 6

Answer 2

1. Sarabande and Gigue.
2. Moreover suites of several dance movements.
3. Harpsichord.
4. Simple/rounded binary forms.
5. Continuous movement in short note values without ‘periodic phrasing’.
6. Gigue fugal writing.

Question 3

What is the instrumentation of the Sarabande and Gigue from Partita No. in D?

Answer 3

Never specified.
Harpsichord - low Sarabande A.
Otherwise may’ve been played on clavichord.

Question 4

What is the texture of the Sarabande? 4

Answer 4

1. Almost entirely two-part writing
RH - melody: semiquavers/demisemiquavers.
LH - quaver accompaniment.
2. Monophonic - 2.
3. Melody dominated homophony.
4. Beginning - 3 part texture.
5. End - 4 part texture.

Question 5

What is the texture of the Gigue? 8

Answer 5

1. Mainly 3 part writing - fugal (contrapuntal).
2. Monophonic: fugue subject - 1.
3. Dominant answer: 2 part texture - 7.
4. Final tonic subject: 3 part texture - 16.
5. Part reduction by A end.
6. B: LH monophonic subject - 49.
7. Imitation.
8. Second subject entry: partnered by first section fugue subject - 55.

Question 6

What is the structure of the Sarabande and Gigue? 6

Answer 6

1. Sarabande - ROUNDED binary form: A reference - 29.
   2 Gigue: binary form - abnormal longer second section.
2. Gigue fugal elements.
3. End A section - dominant A key.
4. B - modulations to tonic.
5. Descending broken chord - finish: rhyming endings.

Question 7

What is the tonality of the Sarabande and Gigue from Partita No. in D? 4 keys

Answer 7

1. Major-minor tonality - starts finishes in tonic D major.
2. Closely-related keys: dominant Amj - 11s.
3. Tonic return movement at B end - via related keys.
4. Bm: relative minor - 16s.
5. Em: relative subdominant minor - 21s.

Question 8

What is the harmony of the Sarabande and Gigue from Partita No. in D? 10

Answer 8

1. Diatonic/functional harmony – root position triads/first inversions.
2. Both end with perfect cadences.
3. Broken/arppegiated chords - 1g.
4. Dissonance - harmonic tension.
5. 7th chords e.g. broken dominant 7th - 8s.
6. Diminished 7th, suspension, A tonic pedal - 12s.
7. Suspensions 75g.
8. Appoggiaturas - 41g.
9. Chromaticism - 42g.
10. Faster harmonic cadence rate.

Question 9

What is the melody of the Sarabande and Gigue from Partita No. in D? 6

Answer 9

1. Conjunct/scalic.
2. Disjunct: broken chords e.g. G beginning.
3. Sequences - 32s, 3g.
4. Fortspinnung - s.
5. Mordents - 13s.
6. Chromaticism - 42g.

Question 10

What is the rhythm/metre of the Sarabande? 4

Answer 10

1. Slow, simple triple time - 3/4.
2. Frequent LH steady, continuous quavers.
3. RH - semiquavers/demisemiquavers.
4. Syncopation - 5.

Question 11

What is the rhythm/metre of the Gigue? 3

Answer 11

1. Compound triple - 9/16.
2. Almost continuous semiquaver movement.
3. Dotted quavers.